Gareth Barry: I won't be finishing my career in the MLS like Gerrard and Lampard

GARETH BARRY is sure on two things.

Gareth Barry says he will not be moving to the MLS to prolong his career

Firstly, he is not ready to follow the likes of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard and pursue a career in America and, secondly, in order to prolong his time in the Premier League he does not envisage a change of position.

“I've played in defence once this season and I didn't enjoy it,” said the Everton midfielder with a self-deprecating grimace. “It was a tough game. We played Hull away and got beat.

“It didn't go well and that was the end of that. I'm sure the manager won't be looking at doing that again either!

“Defensive midfield can be the one position that's easier to play as you get older. If you look at Frank and Steven over the last few years, they have had to change their games slowly into that role.

“You don't see too many attacking flair players continuing until their mid-30s at a high level.”

There have been times this season that Barry openly admits he has stopped to appraise how, when and where his own career should end as those he shared a dressing room with England for more than a decade have done before him.

He has two years left to run on his contract when this campaign closes and, having been something of an unsung hero at Manchester City, he has found himself a target for some disgruntled Everton supporters questioning his capabilities.

Barry, 34, deals with the criticism in the way you would expect of someone whose level-headed outlook has underpinned his career.

Yet he is adamant he will not simply allow his playing days to fizzle out to a point where he is not contributing.

“I think it (criticism) is just normal,” said Barry. “I don’t know if that is just me or my style but if the team is getting results I’m part of it, if a team is losing then I’m part of that as well.

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Gareth Barry with Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard

“Maybe I’m that sort of player. The fans have got their right to have their opinion on myself and the team.

“My mind is still to finish the two years I’ve got left with Everton, but at the same time I will always take a season at a time and see where it gets me.

“It would worry anyone (fizzling out). This season at times has been a struggle and not just personally but with the team.

“When you play a lot of games in a row and you come off the pitch thinking, ‘I can’t do this no more’ then it is time to look at something else whether you have six months left on your contract or four years.

“You have to be brave enough to stand up and say ‘I need to do something different’. Whether that is telling the manager I can’t play so many games, or I can’t play at this level, but at the moment I still feel I can compete and do a job as well as anyone.

“I’m confident I can still perform at Everton to a high level, with a good manager that knows me well and now knows my body. If we work together then there are going to be no problems.

“Frank is 36, he is two years older than me and when I’ve seen him perform this season for City he is still doing a good job so I see no reason why I can’t aim for something like that.

“I still think I can help Everton get to where they want to be and that is trying to compete in European football year in year out.”

What has seldom been factored in when assessing Barry’s performances this term is the amount of games he has played.

Sunday’s showdown with Manchester United will be his 40th of the campaign – just four shy of the appearances he made for City in 2011-12 when they won the title under Roberto Mancini.

It was never the plan for Barry to take so much of the strain.

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Gareth Barry tussles with Man United's Radamel Falcao

With James McCarthy’s hamstrings ruling him out weeks at a time, Darron Gibson out for longer and Mo Besic still not being totally trusted by Martinez, it has been left to Barry to be the one constant. In the main, his only absences have been through suspension.

“I had a conversation with the manager at the start of the season when he told me I wasn't going to play every game,” he said.

“I spoke to him about the rest my body needs, but injuries ecetera didn't allow that to happen.

“I’m sure that if there were more players fit throughout the busy period we had at Christmas, I may have missed more games and had more rest. It was not to be.

“We have had injuries in midfield with Gibson and McCarthy has missed a big chunk of the season. They are players that could easily have come in and replaced me.

“That's the way it's gone this season. Don't get me wrong I want to play every game, I'm not going to be relieved if the manager tells me I'm not playing this week as I'm still hungry to play every game.

“The ones I have missed I've sat there thinking 'I want to be out there'. Whether rest is the best thing for me or not, it's human nature that you want to be out there playing.”

That said part of Barry’s brief is to help nurture the talent around him whether it be Besic or Ross Barkley, whom he sits next to at Everton’s Finch Farm training HQ and regularly imparts advice.

“I think it's down to me to push those other players more and make them better players, too,” he said. “The younger players who are coming through should be looking at me aged 34 and thinking that they should be playing regularly instead of me.

“Hopefully that attitude can help us all. I'm sure that's the manager's thinking. If I'm giving it 100pc in training every day then they have to work even harder to get in the team.

“Everton Football Club is more important than the individual.

“It’s something you need to pass on. If you’re 21 or 34, if you get the chance to win trophies, they can bypass you.

“I got to the Cup final with Villa at a young age and I was thinking ‘we’ve lost the game, really disappointing.’ But I was thinking I would have a lot more opportunities. They just don’t come around as often as you think they will when you’re a young player.

“You need to take your chances, not just in terms of winning trophies but in terms of just being out there on the pitch. You’ve got to take your chances while you’re there.”

So what is his advice to Barkley? Stick at his boyhood club or twist with City and Chelsea waiting in the wings?

“Personally, I think he’s still too young to make that move,” said Barry. “He’s still learning the game. He’s got the right manager here to push him to the next level. As soon as he reaches that next level, then there’s another decision to be made.

“At the moment, I think it’s too early. I speak to Ross quite often.

“You feel sorry for him sometimes because the expectation is getting thrown on to his shoulders.

“People are expecting of him, week in, week out, goals and assists. That hasn’t happened but at the same time he’s still putting in good, mature performances.

“They haven’t ended in goals or assists but he’s still improving as a player.

“His ability and his strengths are there for everyone to see. He can go on and be a top, top player.

“He’s still learning about his game. He can be so direct sometimes and feel like he needs to produce a dribble or get a shot off every time he gets the ball because that’s the expectation.

“Sometimes, he just needs to take a touch, pass and get to the edge of the box and the chance will come after that.”

As for Everton, Barry believes the travails of this season can be put behind them.

“I’m pretty confident that I can sit here and say our form in the Premier League will be better next season,” he said.

“I’m not going to make excuses for this season, but I’m pretty confident that with the players we’ve got and the manager, his style, we’re going to have an improved season in the Premier League.

“At the same time, there’s players here who want to win trophies. We want to win the FA Cup, the League Cup, we’ve got to try to focus on that too.

“You don’t get too many opportunities. Ultimately, we want to get back playing European football and experience what we’ve experienced this season and improving on it and, as a whole club, deal with it a lot better.